Do we have to pay employees who clock in early? — Business Management Daily: Free Reports on Human Resources, Employment Law, Office Management, Office Communication, Office Technology and Small Business Tax Business Management Daily

Do we have to pay employees who clock in early?

Q. We have a handful of employees who clock in early, (i.e., 5:00 p.m.) but don’t actually start working until their scheduled time (6:00 p.m.). Do we have to pay them when they do this? — Juelee, Wisconsin

A. Yes. Basically, the Fair Labor Standards Act (and similar state laws) require employers to pay employees for all time that they are “suffered or permitted to work.” Thus, if an employee clocks in early, he or she must be paid for time worked.

Rather than withhold pay, the better course of action is to warn employees not to clock in until the start of their scheduled shifts. Then, you can discipline them if they continue to do so. However, you can’t refuse to pay for time worked, not even if you are otherwise disciplining them for failing to follow your policies.

Tomorrow's Training:

Your employee handbook can be an invaluable organizational tool … or an employment lawsuit waiting to happen. And in recent years, Congress and state legislatures have been busy enacting laws that directly affect your employee handbook. If you haven't kept up, you could find yourself in court....Click here to find out more.